VRBOReviews 1,999

Three major reasons.

1. Commission and fees are triple Airbnb if you don't buy their annual subscription for $500 USD!

2. As the owner/host you can't read reviews about the traveler posted by previous hosts on their profile. I rely on reviews to decide if the renters are trustworthy and respectful. The renter also gets to review the host and this system keeps people honest and better informed.

3. Two factor authentication is constantly an obstacle and I can't elect to have the verification code sent to my email. Text message only. I travel often outside of the USA and don't always have a cell phone, hence I can't check for inquiries daily because I can't even access my owner dashboard.

The above issues are inconvenient and lack common business sense. I don't know how the platform functions and makes money, because they're not getting it from me anymore

I HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS IN BOOKING A RESERVATION WITH MY GIFT CARD FROM BEDANDBREAKFAST.COM I never found a site that listed on their webpage that would actually accept the gift card!
And now, the company will no longer accept any gift cards towards any properties, and, after they put you through the wringer to submit your card for refund, the only way to get a refund is to provide all my confidential bank information. I have been bounced around from BandB.com, Expedia.com and no, Home Away, Inc.

Naturally, I'd be crazy to give such a dubious outfit such info. I finally called HomeAway as I have an email from BandB stating unequivocally that my certificate (gift card) has been approved for refund, Home Away finds " nothing in their system." They now want me to call Expedia (for the 3rd time), but neither party knows the other and can't help.

I'm so disgusted and feel helpless. I am currently put on hold again (for now about 15 minutes!) in some black hole that the last person I spoke to forwarded me to. THis is all a scam as they simply bounce you around until you are utterly disgusted. I feel terrible for my friends who gave me this 'gift'.

I

The property I booked is grossly misrepresented on the website and when calling property management I was unable to reach any one. I had to call VRBO and they took notes and stated any issues go through the property owner or management company. The management reached out after being co tacted by VRBO and did not address the amenities issues and I am now waiting for a caretaker to come out and help us with a maintenance issue. The house is listed as wheelchair accessible by ramp, but the entire house is modified for accessibility making everything low to the ground which is great for people in wheelchairs, but for those without will have a hard time. There is also only an elevator lift to go between each floor, which stopped working.

I have been using VRBO for over a decade. I will never ever use them again!

One week before checking into this VRBO I did not receive either the property address or the door code. I used the VRBO portal and sent the owner 3 emails asking for these items. Crickets... 3 days before check in I called. No answer and their mailbox was full. Called VRBO, they gave me another number to text the owner. I did... no response. Talked to VRBO 4 more times without any help or resolution. VRBO uses off-shore call centers with agents that are difficult to understand. Hold times are obnoxiously long. Finally had to call my credit card company to reverse charges. Adding insult to injury, the owner tried to charge my CC the balance payment. I had my CC on hold. As soon as the charge didn't go through they promptly cancelled my reservation.

Five more phone calls to "supervisor" I finally received a phone call back to review my case. I was lectured that the "Confidence Guarantee" would have worked. They told me I should have called VRBO after the 4:00 PM check-in. Right... I am going to talk with someone who can hardly speak English finding me another property in LA.

This so called vacation rental platform is absolute garbage! Their customer service is horrendous and they basically "slap your face" while talking to you. I booked a "misleading" property and they sent me an email notification saying I should contact my credit card holder. I immediately called VRBO to make sure I could get my money returned to my credit card through them. They said, yes but it would take 5-7 business days to get it back. The so called "supervisor" told me he couldn't turn magic screws to fix the banking policies. I was laughing so hard because he was just that pathetic! Now I have to wait 5-7 business days in hopes I get my $3200. 00 back. It's such a shame these businesses get away with these tactics. He told me I was fortunate enough to get "a personal apology" from the company. Do yourself a favor and stay away from using VRBO at all costs! I took a picture of the scammers fake number. VRBO has many of these scammers getting through their database on a daily basis!

Our family of two grandparents, two parents, and four children had planned for a fun time in Old Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, and surrounding sights for five days.
We rented 540 Kerry Lake Drive, in Newport News, Va.
To say we had fun, we did.
However, our rental was a nightmare just waiting for us.
The photos online didn't show broken picnic table, leaking dishwasher, shower handle falling off, door knobs coming off in your hand, no handrail on stairway, talking security system, non-operative recliners, nasty smelling sunroom, no ceiling fans in two of three bedrooms upstairs, and a kitchen equipped with junky pots and pans and very few useful kitchen utensils. We did have lots of dishes, coffee cups, glasses and silverware as well as a toaster, coffee maker, stand mixer ( no cake pans), microwave and refridgerator ( ice maker broken), Electric stove that was very unlevel and at an inch below cabinet top.
I don't want to go on about it any more. Just stay away,

Booked a place in Italy 9 months in advance. Paid downpayment. One month before my trip I get an email through VRBO saying my reservation had been canceled. No explanation. I followed up with the property manager through the VRBO message board and get a response that says I should contact some municipal judge in Spain. Contact VRBO customer service, which they make nearly impossible to find a number for, and spend numerous hours sending emails to. They had all the information already but demanded I send it to them. Everything goes quiet, so I send an email to inquire about the status and get a response saying they are sorry, but the aren't allowed to do anything but forward my complaint to the property manager. I am just out my deposit but they would be happy to get me in touch with their reservation group to help me get screwed again. Last time I use VRBO.

April 13,2019 I arrived at condo rental contracted through VRBO. The unit was described as high quality but turned out to be the opposite: dirty, rundown and in disrepair, and I could not stay there. Problems included mold on the shower curtain (see photo), pet hair on the couch, cracked and broken floor tiles, deeply stained carpet etc. When I complained to VRBO I was told that VRBO could do nothing but note the complaint, while the unit owner denied there was a problem and made no effort to address my concerns. Other potential renters might face a similar problem should they rent the unit described. The VRBO Property ID# for the unit is ******* and the address is 4705 Wild Iris Dr Apt 201 Myrtle Beach SC *******-8725

I received a scam message and spent 2 hours with customer service trying to resolve it. It is apparent that this individual wanted my contact information, but he deleted this from the site so it was only present in my email. This is what is said "Great! I will be coming with my partner for vacation and due to the
Unsecured use of credit card or other online payment, we will arrange for
Payment inform of US cashier check or bank certified check or send you an E
Check if you have a printer or your bank mobile application, So Kindly get
Back to me with mailing information below

Name, Address, phone number, e mail address and total amount.

To enable us mail the payment to you on time via USPS or send you an E
Check. You can contact me via texting at 5. 1. 2. 9. 5. 2. 4. 7.
5.3...

Thanks."

I do not think that the site is safe to use, and the way that customer service handled this was very poor. I should not have to waste my time trying to prevent scammers, this is something that should be instant. What should be your problem as a company should not be my problem as an individual. If I wanted this level of security I would invite people to stay in my home from Craigslist without paying this company a fee.

In Feb 2019 I booked a VRBO for spring break in Florida, late March 2019. After several unsuccessful attempts to get a response from the owner, AFTER he had my full payment, I called customer service asking if I should cancel while I could still get a full refund. I was assured the site would make sure I wasn't left stranded with no place to stay, and/or would provide a full refund if the property fell through or was a no show. They failed to tell me they wouldn't honor that or do ANYthing to ensure we had a back-up place to stay until we actually showed up for our 4pm check-in. So I reached out to other property owners to set up my own back-up plans, luckily, because upon calling in at 4pm on arrival day to inform them he was, indeed, a no-show, they told me their policies didn't allow for a same-day booking! I worked with them for a month, and they were aware that the property owner's phone # had been disconnected, neither they nor I could get an email response with several attempts, and the guy had removed the property from the site prior to my arrival. While they admitted there were "several red flags" with my booking, their "policy doesn't allow them to do anything until the time of check in." THAT's what they call their "travel in comfort guarantee"... can't make this stuff up.

We used VRBO for the first time believing that they are big enough to have excellent customer service. We paid $7,500 as a deposit on an apartment in Cape Town and two weeks before we arrived we discovered that the advertiser was part of a fraud gang operating in SA and the he did not own the property. We learnt that some people who had rented via VRBO arrived to find their money had been paid over to the fraud gang without proof that they owned the property and they had to return home without accommodation. According to VRBO policy we were guaranteed our money back. NOT SO. They have told us to claim via our card provider (VISA) and yet they still have our money in their account. We have been passed to several different people holding on the phone for hours and still no money back. They should be avoided like the plague!

Go to the Consumer Affairs website and you will see many, many complaints similar to yours. It happened to me as well. Buyer beware. Your reservations are NOT secure through VRBO/HomeAway, even after you have paid a a sizable deposit or in full. Property owners can and do routinely cancel reservations for any reason (but usually if they can find someone to pay more) leaving people with no place to go. It's fraud. They are making millions by taking advantage of people. Someone needs to start a class action lawsuit.

VRBO - HOME AWAY - No value at all - Go with the local rental company - SO bad - Terrible customer service - Renter beware.

You may think you are getting support if you have an issue - really, no. We booked and rented a house via VRBO/HomeAway and it was not only falsely advertised, there were massive sewage issues which kept us from using the property. I tried to call them to see about a refund - they offered no support - like none. I am having to deal with the local company for the refund. Ironically, I found the same property on a the local home rental site for $200 less. If this ever happens to you, know that VRBO/HomeAway offers no support - they put it all on You to get your money back from the local company who manages the property or local owner. Save yourself time and money - book with the local rental company.

We reserved and paid full price for a rental property in Florida on 15 November. WE did not realize that VRBO was taking 100% of the money, we thought it would be a deposit!
The property owner canceled our reservation on 17 Jan by text and we got our official cancellation notice via email on 22 Jan. The property owner stated he would refund the moneys within 5 - 7 business days.

We filed a complaint with VRBO on 17 Jan and they said they would help us find another place to stay. Remember, the property manager said he would refund our monies within 5 - 7 business days.

Neither happened and by 2 Feb we booked another location. Take in mind we were told VRBO would help us fine another room. They did not respond to any emails they were very sorry this happened and were very concerned on the telephone but that was the extent of VRBO's assistance.

I will say, we did get 1 email from them about re booking about 1 week before our vacation started on the 15th. We responded within a few hours of getting their email about "helping us find a accommodation's" but that was it.

When we called back after our vacation, they stated we would have to fine a complaint (even though I had a complain number and emails from 22 Jan) and they were very sorry and rest asserted they were working on resolving this.

We called the payment processing company and they could not process a refund. They stated the payment has to be canceled/refunded by either VRBO or the property manager!

We believe that VRBO is taking their time because the payment has been processed not to them, but to the property owner. They would then have to get they money back from him! We talked to our credit card company and they said there is a time limit on disputing payments and it seems like VRBO is stalling! We could be wrong, it could be a misunderstanding however we have followed every step VRBO ask us to and we still have not received payment - after 35 days! We will let the credit card company process this and get the money from VRBO!

Hate to write a bad review but please be careful using VRBO! They are real heavy on promises and real slim on the follow through.